Cryptomining Supervillain

175 PROM NIGHT HORROR

[Melrose Meta High School No.2]

The main hall had been transformed beyond recognition.

Velvet curtains of deep blue and silver draped across the walls, catching the shimmer of a hundred floating orbs that glowed softly above the dance floor. The lights moved in slow patterns, like stars shifting across an artificial night sky.

A holographic chandelier hovered at the center of the hall, refracting light into faint rainbows that danced over the crowd.

Rows of crystal tables lined the sides, each crowned with centerpieces that glowed faintly — small glass towers projecting images of constellations, rotating endlessly in the air.

A soft mist floated near the ground, tinted by shifting light patterns that made it look as if everyone were walking on clouds.

The scent of fresh orchids and citrus hung in the air, faint but deliberate, meant to evoke youth and elegance.

The stage at the far end shimmered with a reflective sheen, waiting for the announcement of Prom King and Queen — a ritual everyone pretended not to care about but secretly dreamed of winning.

Along the back wall, a holographic mural displayed memories from the past year — smiling faces, battle victories, festivals, and quiet snapshots of life in the school corridors.

Every detail spoke of celebration and farewell — the last, perfect night before reality took them all in separate directions.

To the students of Melrose Meta High, this night was everything — their initiation into adulthood, the glittering crown of their adolescence.

The hall shimmered with light, laughter, and the kind of hope only youth can conjure.

But Damen didn't care about any of it.

His initiation had already happened a year earlier, on a bloodstained night when he killed the gangster Mad Cat.

That was his ritual — a baptism of blood not this pageant of cheers and flashing cameras.

He didn't plan to come. He wasn't here for the celebration either.

He was here for a case.

"The sensor is placed," Damen said into his comms.

"Copy that. I'm receiving the signal now," Lander replied from inside an unmarked van parked behind the school.

The van's interior glowed with screens and blinking lights — machinery humming as it processed the data from the small sensors Damen had hidden around the building.

"I should be going," Damen muttered.

His only reason for attending the prom was to install the devices, not to dance under starlight holograms.

He turned to leave …. but a familiar voice halted him.

"Damen Dark! Why aren't you in formal attire?"

Principal Misk stood by the refreshment table, resplendent in a violet suit and a matching tall hat, a glass of cocktail in hand.

"Sorry," Damen said dryly, "I wasn't prepared for Halloween."

The principal laughed … genuinely amused. Nothing a top student said could ever offend him.

"Have you registered for college yet?" Misk asked.

"Yes. Silver City University of Meta Science."

"Excellent choice! Prestigious, very prestigious," Misk said approvingly, already glancing toward a cluster of teachers waving him over. "Well, I won't take more of your time. Enjoy yourself, Mr. Dark."

As soon as the principal drifted away, Damen turned back toward the exit …. only to hear someone shout his name again.

"Damen, finally! You're here!"

Before he could react, Eryn Veyran threw her arms around him.

"Eryn?" Damen blinked. He hadn't expected her here.

"Don't sound so surprised … you're my date for tonight," she said, smiling.

Before he could reply, another voice cut sharply through the crowd.

"Excuse me, Damen is my partner."

It was Cyara Atheris, glaring daggers at Eryn.

Both girls locked eyes, tension sparking instantly.

"Not again," Damen groaned under his breath and slipped away before either could start a scene.

If he stayed, the night would end in more than just broken hearts … possibly broken furniture.

As Damen reached for the exit, the doors slammed shut.

Prom night had officially begun.

"Damn hell," he muttered. "How am I supposed to get out now? Break the bloody door?"

Before he could think further, Lander's voice cut through the comms.

"Damen, the psychic signature in the hall just spiked! Something's happening inside the hall and its growing stronger."

Damen's eyes narrowed.

He stayed alert, scanning the crowd for threats. But all he saw were students laughing, dancing, and taking photos.

"There's nothing here…", he replied.

There was no visible danger … yet.

Meanwhile, Eryn and Cyara were still searching for him.

Damen didn't want to get caught between them again. Quickly, he slipped into a corner and cloaked himself, his form fading into invisibility.

While the girls looked everywhere for him, Damen watched the hall closely for psychic disturbances.

Then Principal Misk stepped onto the stage with the teachers. The microphone squealed sharply.

"Welcome to Prom Night—"

A loud burst of static interrupted him, followed by another ear-piercing shriek. Misk frowned, tapping the mic …. but then froze.

His gaze shifted upward.

Something was falling.

It wasn't a prop. It wasn't the lighting rig.

It was a body.

The thing that hit the stage was humanoid … but barely. Its skin was slick, translucent, and dripping with a corrosive slime. Before anyone could react, the creature reached out quickly and touched the principal's neck.

Misk screamed.

The whole school screamed.

"What is happening to me… I can't move."

His body went rigid, skin paling into a silver-white hue. Thin filaments burst across his body, wrapping him in a cocoon of metallic thread until he was completely encased.

The crowd erupted into panic.

"Run….", Students pushed toward the main doors, but they wouldn't budge … they were locked from the outside.

Then more of the creatures dropped from the ceiling, landing among the terrified students. Their acidic bodies sizzled where they struck the floor.

Screams filled the air as people scattered in all directions.

"What the hell's happening in there?" Dorin shouted through the comms.

"Check the cameras," Damen said, his eyes darting around. "The hall's under attack … by something. I don't know what yet."

Lander's fingers flew across the console in the van. "Got visuals. Scanning… Wait." His voice faltered. "I'm getting matches."

"Matches? What matches?"

"These… these are the missing people from the city!"

"What?" Damen's tone hardened. "You mean those people were turned into these things?"

Data flashed across Damen's eyes as he scanned one of the monsters.

Name: [REDACTED] (Corrosiver)

Strength Rank: C  Meta Rank: C

Attributes: Strength 393 | Charm 420 | Meta 413 | Command 412

Description: Corrosivers are mutated humans with alien-altered genes. Their bodies produce corrosive fluids that transmit the mutation upon contact.

"What the hell…" Damen whispered.

"What do you mean by 'Corrosivers'?" Lander demanded.

"They're mutated humans," Damen said grimly. "Their touch corrodes flesh and spreads the mutation. Anyone infected becomes one of them."

"The Principal ….," Dorin began, horrified at what she saw.

The cocoon on the stage suddenly split open.

Out stepped Misk … he was no longer human.

His once-purple suit clung in tatters to his warped body as silver slime dripped from his limbs.

He shrieked, lunging at the nearest group of students.

"Damn it…Eryn!" Damen's thoughts snapped to her.